How Are Economic Changes Effecting Your Karaoke Business At The Start Of 2009?

[billyo]

Originally Posted by bryant

Sheesh, All my gigs are within a mile radius of each other and less than a mile from my home, have 5 this week, at three of them the equipment is permanently installed and use their microphones, too.

The other two have my equipment there on a regular basis and no one else plays on stage except us. I usually arrive 15 minutes before the show, sometimes walk from home, and start 5 minutes early, and am home by 12:30 or 1 am. Usually make between 150 and 200 a night in Central Maine where you can get a rent for 300 a month and still buy a beer for less than a dollar. We feel we're sort of lucky too. And we both have regular jobs that pay good salaries and pay all our insurances (medical, dental, vision, etc). We believe Hoster made this all possible for us.

it takes me 10 minutes to get where i used to play, i never leave my gears anywhere, i knew a kj who used to leave his gears where he used to play and one night when he went to play, ( he used to play 1 night a week someone came and asked him who he was when he told them that he's the kj, they said not anymore and when he's about to tear down his gears, he was told that the gears where part of the sale of the place, ( apparently he was talking to the new owner ) the place was sold and the old owner didnt tell him..took him months to get his equipments back and all the while the new owner was letting someone using it..

[bryant]

Originally Posted by billyo

it takes me 10 minutes to get where i used to play, i never leave my gears anywhere, i knew a kj who used to leave his gears where he used to play and one night when he went to play, ( he used to play 1 night a week someone came and asked him who he was when he told them that he's the kj, they said not anymore and when he's about to tear down his gears, he was told that the gears where part of the sale of the place, ( apparently he was talking to the new owner ) the place was sold and the old owner didnt tell him..took him months to get his equipments back and all the while the new owner was letting someone using it..

He did get it back though, and that stuff doesn't happen in maine. Everyone knows everyone, and as soon as something different comes about (like the sale of a place) everyone knows it, even before the owner. And, I can literally see all this stuff from my bedroom window.

[billyo]

Originally Posted by bryant

He did get it back though, and that stuff doesn't happen in maine. Everyone knows everyone, and as soon as something different comes about (like the sale of a place) everyone knows it, even before the owner. And, I can literally see all this stuff from my bedroom window.

yup he got it back, but not for a while and he wasnt able to do any gig , till he got his stuff back, can't imagine how much money he lost.So. Fla. is kinda big county and there are i believed 385 bars/restaurants around, we're about 45 minutes away from Ft. Lauderdale so we get a bunch of people coming up our way and most of the times bars changed hands...

[BooBoo]

I'm still at the same place that I started. The bar turned over ownership the last time and I started shortly after that. The location had problems making it in the past and had several owners in a two year stretch but we instantly got things going on the weekends. We now do four nights a week. To help with their cost, the house purchased a PA but I provide the Karaoke equipment, mics and songs. I reduced my weekend price from 175 to 150 as I do not have to ever set up or tear down. The bar has an option for an additional hour for 25 on the weekends and rarely doesn't use it. I have three guys that work for me. I take Wednesday and Friday, I have one person who does both Karaoke and Rock band on Thursdays, and another who usually takes Saturdays. Fridays gets way crazy so I usually split that night with the last guy. I hand trained all of them to do things the way I want (most times LOL) so people can have just as good of a time no matter who is working. The great thing is, we can sub for each other if needed. The owners love us because they know the location would not have made it without us and business has never been better.

[billyo]

Originally Posted by BooBoo

thats not much of a profit ( for you ) if you make $150 a night and have 3 guys working for you..

[BooBoo]

Well, I get $100 myself for Wed. I get $175 most times on one Friday and $85 the other. If I can cover the costs of my equipment, CDs and tab, I'm happy. It is a hobby for me..